1-1 Premeier Issue FINAL PROOF.pdf Holiday 2013 | Page 26

HEROS H by By Laresa Watkins &

Photography by Martha Manning

Cinderella’s Closet
Fairy Godmothers at Work

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fairy godmother is defined as a character in fairy tales who has magical
powers and brings unexpected good
fortune to the hero or heroine. Cinderella’s
Closet, a ministry of Chatham Community
Church, is made up of many real-life fairy
godmothers that use their powers to make
girls’ dreams come true. By providing formal
wear, accessories, makeup, and an overall
magical experience for girls who otherwise
may not be able to afford to attend their prom,
Cinderella’s Closet is undoubtedly bringing
unexpected good fortune to young ladies all
over Chatham County.

Kathy Hotelling, the founder of
Cinderella’s Closet, dreamt up the concept
when she was shopping with her daughter
for her prom dress. She realized how costly
it was to attend prom, and knew that some
young women in Chatham County would
not be able to attend the prom because of
the expense. Desiring to provide every girl
in Chatham with an opportunity to attend
prom regardless of the expense, she joined
forces with other women in the community:
Saundra Gardner, a veteran social worker
at Northwood High School; Jennifer Davis
from Pittsboro Baptist Church; and Rita
Marley McKenzie, then with the Chatham
County Department of Social Services.

With this team in place, the first Cinderella’s
Closet opened in 2010. Since its beginning,
the team has grown to include other individuals from all over Chatham County, and
Cinderella’s Closet has served an estimated
80 girls in our county!

The benefit of Cinderella’s Closet is
two-fold: it provides Chatham County girls
with an ability to experience prom when
otherwise they could not, , and it also is a
life-altering experience for the people who
volunteer with the program. Kathy says that
the best thing about working with Cinderella’s
Closet is “…the tears of joy as these beautiful
young women see their image reflected in the
mirror when they have completed their ensemble…and the tears of the volunteers who
help them. It is a beautiful moment as each
young woman finds a dress, miraculously it
seems, that really looks magnificent on her.”

There are many opportunities for
community members to assist with making dreams come true through Cinderella’s
Closet. One way is by encouraging girls who
need this assistance to see their school social
worker to request to be referred to Cinderella’s Closet. “The social workers do a great
job in referring individuals, but we know that
they cannot know everyone’s situation, and
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